CWU ANNOUNCES FIRST RECOGNIZED UNION IN U.S. SENATE OFFICE, CONTINUED PROGRESS
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the Congressional Workers Union (CWU) announced that staff in the Office of Senator Edward Markey (D-MA) are poised to negotiate a Collective Bargaining
Agreement as they reach a robust Ground Rules Agreement and become the first voluntarily recognized staff union in United States Senate history.
Last spring, after Senate leadership failed to heed CWU’s call to pass a resolution to extend labor rights to Senate congressional staff, the workers in Senator Markey’s office bravely became the first in the Senate to seek voluntary recognition of their union. In the months since, these workers have engaged in collective bargaining over a Voluntary Recognition and Ground Rules Agreement including strong workers protections and a shared commitment to good faith bargaining. A resolution seeking to secure legal protections for Senate staff to organize and collectively bargain was introduced by Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) in June of last year.
“As the Senate fails to act to pass a resolution extending organizing and collective bargaining protections to Senate congressional staff, we commend the workers of Senator Markey’s office who have come together to forge their own path—collectively bargaining for an unprecedented Voluntary Recognition and Ground Rules Agreement,” said the Congressional Workers Union. “We applaud this historic step and look forward to continued negotiations as these workers move towards a Collective Bargaining Agreement.”
“On the one year anniversary of our request, we are proud to have received voluntary recognition and come to a strong Ground Rules Agreement,” said the Markey Unit. “We look forward to further engaging in the collective bargaining process to reach a Collective Bargaining Agreement.”
If you are a Senate congressional staffer interested in unionizing your office, you can email CongressionalWorkersUnion@gmail.com. To learn more about CWU, visit CongressionalWorkersUnion.org.
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